No. 24 Colorado is back at Prentup Field on Thursday night with a heavyweight Big 12 test waiting in No. 7 Baylor.
The Buffs, 8-3-1 overall and 2-2-0 in conference play, are home for the first time in two weeks after a road swing through Texas Tech and UCF. Their trip ended Friday with a 2-0 loss in Orlando, though freshman goalkeeper Brooke Goerish turned in a career-high eight saves.
Head coach Danny Sanchez said Colorado has had good stretches lately, but the challenge now is putting it all together against one of the league’s top teams.
"I think with the last couple matches we've played well in spurts," Sanchez said. "I think we have to put 90 minutes together.
As simple as that sounds, it's not always that simple. I think we have to be more efficient going forward, and we have to really limit their opportunities and their dangerous players."
That’s the task against a Baylor team that has been rolling. The Bears are 10-1-1 overall and 3-0-1 in Big 12 play, tied with Texas Tech and BYU at the top of the standings with 10 points.
They’ve won three straight conference matches and haven’t lost in nine straight overall, going 8-0-1 since their only defeat on Aug. 23.
Baylor has also handled the road well. The Bears are unbeaten away from Waco at 4-0-1, with wins at Arkansas, Texas, LSU and Oral Roberts, plus a 1-1 draw at West Virginia.
Colorado, though, has been a different team at home. The Buffs are a perfect 7-0 at Prentup, outscoring opponents 24-3. They’ve blanked their last four home visitors - New Mexico, Utah State, Denver and West Virginia - by a combined 13-0.
The home winning streak is already tied for the longest in program history at 13, matching the mark set in 2004. Another win Thursday would give Colorado a new record with 14 straight at Prentup. The Buffs are also unbeaten in their last 22 home matches.
CU’s seven shutouts through 12 matches already match the total from the entire 24-match 2025 season.
Offensively, Colorado continues to lean on Reagan Kotschau and Hope Leyba, who have driven a Buffaloes attack that has scored 28 goals this season. Kotschau has seven goals and a team-high six assists for 20 points, while Hope Leyba also has seven goals along with three assists. Michaela McGowan has chipped in five goals in her first season with the Buffs.
Hope Leyba is also closing in on a spot near the top of the program record book. The senior has 39 career goals, tied with Taylor Kornieck for third in Colorado history. Her next goal would put her alone in third place.
Baylor brings its own firepower. The Bears have scored 25 goals, and eight different players have found the net.
Aryanna Jimison leads the way with six goals and 15 points after scoring twice in Baylor’s 3-1 win over Kansas on Friday. Lauren Omholt has five goals, Grace White has four and Noelle Sather has three.
Theresa McCullough and Olivia Hess each have seven assists.
The Bears have also been solid at the back, allowing 12 goals in 12 matches. Fifth-year goalkeeper Azul Alvarez has played every minute in goal and was named to the MAC Hermann Trophy Midseason Watch List last week.
Alvarez is one of three Hermann Trophy candidates expected to be on the field Thursday. Colorado seniors Hope and Faith Leyba were also named to the 30-player midseason list, making CU the only Big 12 program with two selections.
The series has been tight over the years. Colorado and Baylor are deadlocked 7-7-4 all-time, though the Buffs have the edge in Boulder at 5-1-2. Baylor won the last meeting, 2-1 in Waco, while the teams drew 1-1 the last time they met at Prentup in 2024.
Thursday opens a two-match homestand for Colorado, and it gives the Buffs a chance to climb in a crowded Big 12 table. CU enters the week with six conference points, tied with Arizona State and TCU.
In Other News...
Colorado Faces A Huge In-State Recruiting Test At Quarterback
Colorado got an encouraging look at one of its most important future targets over the weekend, with four-star quarterback Titus Huard taking in the Buffaloes game against Texas Tech. The 2027 prospect is already the programs top recruit in that class, and his connection to Colorado runs through his high school coach, Mike Sanford Jr., which gives the staff a natural opening as it works to build a relationship early.
Huard left the visit sounding upbeat about where the program is headed and said he enjoyed spending time with the coaching staff, a good sign for Colorado as it tries to stay in the mix for a quarterback it badly wants to keep close to home. The Buffaloes will have to keep pushing, though, because Oregon and UCLA are also on the list of schools he plans to see as his recruitment unfolds. [Read more 🡒]
Deion Sanders Suddenly Faces A Colorado Question Fans Can't Ignore
After another loss, the conversation around Deion Sanders and Colorado has shifted from weekly frustration to a broader question about where the program is headed next. ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum said Sanders run in Boulder may be nearing its end, a comment that underscores how quickly the temperature can rise around a high-profile coach when results stop matching the attention.
Colorado does not appear to be waiting quietly in the background either, at least not in the way outside observers are already sorting through possibilities. Dan Mullen, Willie Fritz and Jason Eck have all been floated as potential replacements if the Buffaloes decide to make a change, which is enough to show how quickly the focus can move from Sanders star power to the search for the next stabilizing voice. [Read more 🡒]
Tad Boyle Is Challenging A Colorado Weakness That Ruined Last Season
Tad Boyle spent the offseason looking hard at what went wrong for Colorado last year, and the answer was not hard to find. The Buffaloes struggled to commit on defense and on the glass, two areas that can sink a season even when the offense is capable of carrying stretches, so the roster was reshaped with those weaknesses in mind. Several forwards moved on in the transfer churn, a sign that Boyle wanted a different kind of edge and a different kind of physicality on this years team.
One of the more intriguing pieces is first-year forward Eric Jacobsen, who is working back from a knee injury and could give Colorado a needed presence if he stays healthy. Boyles attention to Jacobsen underscores how much the Buffaloes are counting on frontcourt help to make the defense-and-rebounding reset real rather than rhetorical. Fans will get a first look soon enough, with limited free tickets now available for an upcoming exhibition game, a small but useful preview of whether the new look is taking hold. [Read more 🡒]